Apparatus for treating petroleum



` L. CLARK.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING PETROLEUM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. L4, 1918.

1,418,621. Panmne 6,1922;

OUTLET To .STACK UNITED STATES PATENT oFF-lcs.

LINCOLN CLARK, OF PASADENA, icLlli'oRNIA.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING PETRJLEUM.

i' Specication of Letter: Patent. Patented June 6, 1922.

Application led March 14, 1918. Serial No. 222,733.

treating oils, especially of the petroleum class, and it has for its objects to provide a simple and efficient means for obtaining by distillation, separation or conversion any of the various constituents of the oil or other yields. The invention has in view the treatment of oil by intimate association with, and action of, a heated Huid, which for the purposes of this disclosure, may include a variety of gases, such as combustion gases or any other that be found most suited for the particular needs; the maintenance of a continuous circulatorymovementby such heated gases or iuids, and the recovery of whatever products may be yielded during the process of circulation; and it has also in view the provision of a means for rendering stable the proportion of heaving and converting fluid to the oil, for the essentlal purpose of obtaining specific products from specific oils.

Reference to the accompanying drawmg is made as showing one form of apparatus that may be used in carrying out the objects enumerated and others. Therein,

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of an apparatus for carrying out my invention, showing the oil receiving and containing chamber, the ,f

movable shell, and the inlet for the heated fluid.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged detail showing a means for operating the inside shell and holding such shell in position of adjustment, and v Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section on line 3 3, Fig. 1. y A

The invention comprises a vertical cham? ber 1, suitably supported and its lower end disposed within a fire box 2, for heating the outside of the chamber 1 for a definite extent of its length, as hereinafter appearing. The bottom of the `chamber is preferably that of a hollow inverted truncated cone 3, centrally within which is supported a deflecting member 1a-arranged in line with be treated is introduced into t the outlet end of .a heated Huid conducting piple23 5. l ading from the truncated cone 3, is" a pipe 6, through which solids or other residual and foreign matters formed during the process of treatment, may be extracted, a gate yalve 7 serving to keepthe oil confined ywlthin the chamber during action of the heated fluid on the oil.

Wlthln the chamber 1, is adjustably suspendedv a shell or other hollow body 8, diametrically smaller than the chamber 1, to 4 provide a circumferential space or passageway B, andterminating in a truncated cone `9, the aforesaidv pipe 5 disposed Vcentrally ofsaid shell or body 8 and of the opemng 1n said cone, and having its end normally in the same horizontal lane as the cone 9, which `as stated, is a justably held and movable relatively to the end of the pipe 5, by any suitable means, as eccentrics 10, keyed on a shaft 11, and carrying-suspension rods 12, which are pivotally attached to said shell or body 8.

At a desirable point above the cone 9l and within the shell or body 8, may be disposed a foraminous sheet or screen. 13, for preventing the passage of any solid, semi-solid, plastlc or other substances and keepin clear the space between the pipe 5 an cone 9. Through a suitable ipe 14, oil to Ihe shell 8, the oil eventually flowing into and fillingfpart of the chamber 1, as presently pointed out. Resultant products are taken olf from the chamber through 'a vapor line 15, for subsequent treatment. f

In carrying out the process generally, the valve 7 is closed and oil delivered into the chamber 1, through pipe.14, either in the form of a spray or a fine stream, or in any event in sufficient uantit to maintain at all times a definite eveI within the shell 8, the level always being within the heat zone ofj the-re box 2 during the treatment of ,results desired, from about 80 F. to about 1200 F. and higher. These 'gases are introduced into the oil at a point below the heat zone ofthe fire box 2, and, striking the deflector 4, are forced upwardly in the annular space B between the shell 8 and chamber 1, causing the oil to be carried upwardly therewith in said space to and above theJtop of the shell, whereupon it gravitates into the shell, and hence the oil is in continuous circulation during the treatment. ASuch circulation scours the walls of the chamber and'shellof any deposit lodging thereon as a result of the conversion of the oil, consequently a steady and even heat may be had during the entire process of treatment, a circumstance tending to the preservation of the apparatus and economy of heat.

The steadily increasing heat re uired in ordinary stills, due to coke or ot er carbo'naceous formation on the bottom thereof, is the cause` of their speedy disintegration and nal destruction, but a condition of this character is wholly precluded in thi's apparatus.

Whatever free carbon may be'formed in the course of the treatment ofthe oil, precipitates below the heat zone or that zone of the chamber which is not agitated by the gases,

and asphaltic products that may deposit on the screen 13 are readily and quickly dissolved by the hot circulating oil.

The heated gases which escape to the top of the apparatus after traveling upwardly with the oil, may pass oi through the pipe 15, with any products converted during the treatment.

On account of the different temperatures and other conditions that must be observed in respect of the treatment of variously constituted oils, a definite statement of temperature, velocity of travel of the oil and other conditions, can only be made in respect of a specific oil, and obviously the conditions under which one class of oil may be treated successfully would not apply to other classes.

Destructive distillation of asphaltic residuums, i. e. residuums of distillation or fractionation, begins about350 F. and continues until coke formation. about from 1000 F. to 1200 F., the initial points of destructive distillation and final points of coke formation varying within the limits given accordingto the oil. Consequently asphaltic residuums of say 14 gravity passing through the apparatus, begin to be destructively distilled at about 350 F., such distillation yor cracking continuing until conversion into low boiling point products is complete or nearly so, which occurs at about from 600 F. to 900 F.

Destructive distillation or cracking alone is not urposed b this invention. Crude oil, wit al of its actions, may be distilled with as much facility as topped oils or residuumsLand hence the temperature for such .Li-actief; begin for the, vey low boiling point liqur at as low as 80 1,4.1e,ea1

In the treatment of all oils or 'its products it is necessary that a proper proportion of heated gas and oil in the heat zone' be maintained to govern the velocity of the oil past the heated surfaces and thereby to keep clean the Walls of the shell and chamber. This proportion or relationship of oil to gas is regulated by the relative position of the nozzle or pipe 5, to the outlet from the shell 8.

Obviously a prolonged subjection of residuums or oil products will bring about. a conversion of them by destructive distillation or cracking, in much the same manner as by energetic treatment with higher heats. However, the scouring action under slow moving heat conditions would be less complete and thetime of treatment extended to periods which would make such a process vuil-commercial.

, 'It is apparent that the operation of the still may be conducted under a pressure, whereconditions so require, as for instance, where an oil is treated that is volatile at say 600 F. or 650 F, but whose cracking point is say 900 F. or 950 F. or higher. In such event, pressure from external gases is maintained to bring about a pressure within the still and eli'ect a destructive distillation at the higher temperature, the value 15 on the vapor line 15 being partially closed during such subjection to pressure.

The original apparatus with which demonstrations have been made had outer shells of 12 inches diameter and 36 inches high, and an inner shell 16 inches high, 8 inches in diameter with a space between the shells of two inches. The heating fluid pipe ranges from a quarter to three-eighths, with onehalf inch diameter vapor outlet, one inch residuum outlet with cones of 60 degrees.

A subsequent still had an outer shell with a diameter of 36 inches and a height of 16 feet. The external heated area is seven feet high, the total area being approximately 67 square feet. The inner shell is six feet high with an annular space of one and one-half inches. The diameter of the heated fluid pipe is two inches and that of the vapor outletsix inches. The angle of the cones is sixty degrees. The opening outlet of the cone of the inner cylinder is four and onehalf inches. The amount of heated Huid was based on 400 feet of free air per minute at 70 Fahrenheit.

In operating the heating fluids l have topped oil at a vapor temperature of eighty de ees. rllhe entraining property of the iiuid assists in distillation at lower degrees than ordinarily.

The temperature of the fluid pipe runs from to 1800 F. I `have topped oil at varying pressures up to pounds. The operating pressure in the still is no reater 'than 'the pressure on the fiiid. have cracked heavy hydrocarbon down to coke at a final vapor temperature of 680 at no pressure. I have also cracked heavy carbon vapors at a temperature of 1187D and a pressure of 65 pounds and have recovered lubricating stock vapors at a temperature of 7 80 using steam for heating fluid, and have operated the apparatus with heatfrom the fire box; also with heat only in the heating fluid, and with both, I have operated using combustion gases and oil vapors as -in the process set forth in my application No. 242,- 108, J une 26, 1918, now pending. Oil in this still acts as a medium to filter carbon and is also heated by such fluids resulting from the process in my before named application. Circulation of oil in the annular space is from one to fifty times'a minute dependent of the character of the oil treated. ,The heat pressure in my still is not greater than thaton the heatin fluid.

What I claim, is v l. An apparatus for fractionating oils or treating residuums, comprising a furnace, a chamber vertically disposed therein, a shell within said chamber diametrically smaller than said chamber to form an annular space, a pipe extending centrally of said shell to supply an oil heating Huid, means in said chamber and in line with the outlet of said pipe to deflect the heated fluid and cause it to pass upwardly between the shell and chamber, and means vfor adjusting the shell relatively to said pipe to regulate the proportion of oil to the heated fluid.

2. An apparatus for fractionating oils or treating residuums, comprising a furnace, a chamber disposed therein having its lower end extended below the heat zone of the furnace, a shell suspended within said chamber and diametrically smaller than said chamber to provide an annular passageway, said shell formed with a conical end, a heated gas conducting pipe extending centrally of the shell, a deflector in said chamber and disposed in line with the opening of said pipe, and a valved vapor line leading -from said chamber.

3. An apparatus for fractionating oils or treating residuums, comprising a furnace, a chamber disposed for part of its length within said furnace and its lower end extended' below'the heat zone of said furnace, a diametrlcally smaller hollow body within said chamber formed with a conical end, and

4. An apparatus for fractionating oil or treating residuums, comprising a furnace, a chamber disposed therein for part of its length and its lower end extended below the heat zone of the furnace, a heated fluid supplying conduit central of'said chamber, a4 vconcentric hollow body suspended within .ducting pipe central of said chamber, a concentric hollow body adjustably suspended within said chamber and formed with a conical end partly extending below the heat zone of the furnace, a screen within said hollow body, a means in said chamber to defleet the heated Huid and cause it to pass upwardly between said chamber and hollow lgody, and a valved vapor line on said Acham- 6. An apparatus for fractionating oils or treating residuums, comprising a chamber having a deflecting means in the bottom thereof, 'a shell suspended therein having a tapering end, and a heated fluid conducting pipe extending centrally of said shell, said shell terminating above the bottom of said chamber to provide a quiet zone for the liquid while the upper zones thereof are circulated by the heated fluid.

means to supply a heated fiuid to heat the In testimony whereof I have set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

W. H. DUTTON, Cms. E. LANeronn. 

